


Creature of the Night

by ChocolateGate (cocosmama)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Sleepwalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-09-26 19:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9917945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cocosmama/pseuds/ChocolateGate
Summary: Darcy has a little problem at night. No, she doesn't turn into an ogre at sundown, but she does walk in her sleep. In fact, she does more than walk. She frequently gets into ridiculous shenanigans involving all of the Avengers.





	1. It's 3 AM, I must be lonely

**Author's Note:**

> I've been mulling over this idea for a ridiculously long time. I finally got enough of it written down to share it. I hope you love it, and if you think of any sleepwalking hijinks you'd like me to include, let me know. I'm completely open to suggestion and feedback. Come visit me on Tumblr if you're into that sort of thing. My name is chocolategate.

Bucky Barnes struggled to fall asleep for four hours. At 3:00 AM, he moved to the common room to watch TV. If he immersed himself in a movie, he could silence the voices in his head telling him he wasn't okay. When he first moved into the tower, he went on a two week Netflix binge, and when he surfaced, he got rid of his television. He'd had a lifetime of solitude, so he spent his movie time where people could join him.

He made a bowl of popcorn, grabbed a beer, and flopped down on the couch. The sci-fi channel was on, so he left it there and let himself get drawn in. 

It was just getting good when a faint scuffing sound set his body on high alert. He reached for the gun strapped to his hip and waited, barely breathing. Darcy wandered into the room, clad in a polka-dot onesie and Captain America slippers, and the tension melted from his limbs.

 

“You awake, Doll?” he called. He was almost positive she was asleep, since she was a foot away from banging her shins against the coffee table, so he jumped up and led her around it to the couch.

“The hippo got my flute cakes,” she said as she flopped down next to him.  
He chuckled. “That sounds like a no.” 

Darcy pushed her way into his lap until she was nuzzling his neck like a cat. She was a tactile person, never afraid to give Bucky physical affection, but this was beyond her usual friendly snuggles. The rush of blood in his groin grew more urgent the longer she rubbed against him.

“Show me whatya' got, Goose,” she mumbled.

"Come on, Doll. You gotta-” 

A sloppy kiss silenced him. It was messy, too much spit and not enough pressure, but it still took everything he had not to give in and kiss her back. He was successful until he took a breath through his mouth and she slid her tongue through his lips, then he lost control. Their tongues rolled together for five seconds before his wits came back and he broke the kiss. He tried to push her off his lap carefully, but one of her feet bumped the remote, and the volume swelled, startling her awake.

“What the hell…” she muttered before realizing her position and scrambling off his lap with a yelp. “Shit, how long have I been here?” 

“A few minutes.” 

She felt something hard in her mouth and she fished it out with her finger. She held it close to her eyes and squinted. "Is this a popcorn kernel?" 

The bowl of popcorn on the table and Bucky's silence, combined with the blush rising above his collar, made it obvious that she'd done more than just sit on his lap. "What happened? Tell the truth." 

He tried to ignore her and watch the movie, but she was inching her face so close he had nowhere to look but her eyes.

“You kissed me a little, it's no big deal.” 

Her eyes widened, and she scooted to the opposite end of the couch. He tried to hide his disappointment, but she knew that kicked puppy expression. It showed up every time Steve scolded him for bringing his weapons to parties or other socially unacceptable behavior.

“I didn’t kiss you back, okay? I’d never take advantage of you when you're sleeping like that.” 

“Does that mean you want to take advantage of me when I’m awake?” 

Bucky didn't respond right away. He wanted much more than a kiss from her, but he wasn't ready. If he was honest, he'd imagined their future more than once. She made him want to move to a house in the country and have a handful of wild, dark-haired children. He couldn't afford to fuck it up before they'd even given it a shot.

“How’s about we finish the movie?” he offered. She shrugged and settled into the couch. “Ease up, you don’t have to be a stranger,” he said, patting the cushion next to him. 

Darcy studied him for a moment. He looked so sad with that pout and those big blue eyes. She was a sucker for that face, so she returned to his side and wrinkled her nose. “You smell like my grandpa.” 

"Must be the soap Stevie gave me." He leaned close to her and took a big sniff. "Is that... did you eat chocolate cake?" he accused.

She focused her eyes on the screen, avoiding his eyes. “Is this Alien 3?” 

"You had chocolate cake without me? But it's my favorite!" he sputtered.

"Calm down, drama queen. I left half for you in my fridge."

Bucky stood so fast he almost elbowed Darcy in the face and said, "Let's go." He turned the TV off and started to leave the room.

"It's the middle of the night. You should be asleep, not stuffing your face with cake."

"I spent seventy years asleep, Doll. They never gave me chocolate cake. Not even once." 

Darcy's face fell and she followed Bucky to her room, gesturing for him to sit on the couch. People going without food tugged at her heart strings even more than Sarah McLachlan's ASPCA commercials. 

"Was I any good?" Darcy said as she returned with the pan of chocolate cake and two forks.

"At making cake? You know you're the best baker around." Bucky said around a huge mouthful of the rich cake.

"I meant kissing."

Bucky paused for a minute, thinking back to the messy kiss. "You don't remember?" 

"You know I don't remember the shit I do when I'm sleeping." 

Bucky knew it was true. She'd gotten into a lot of crazy situations when she was sleep walking. "It was fine." 

Darcy snorted. "I was unconscious. There is no way it wasn't awful, you don't have to lie." 

"I'm not lying, but I'm sure it would have been perfect if you were awake." He shoveled more cake into his mouth before he dug himself into a deeper hole. 

She stared at him with an emotion he couldn't identify. "Want to finish that movie?"

"Sure." He held his loaded fork to her lips. "Are you trying to make a pig out of me? Eat some of this."

She took a big bite to satisfy him and turned on the channel they'd been watching in the common room. They finished the movie in silence and fell asleep, snuggled together on the couch. Bucky woke up at noon, still cradling Darcy in his arms. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before sneaking away, plotting ways to get a real kiss from her.


	2. Bridges of Rainbows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy finds herself in another realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter. It was awesome, and several people were extremely helpful. The suggestions are being worked on and will be incorporated possibly by the next chapter. For this chapter, assume that Frigga didn't die during The Dark World.
> 
> I almost got lost in another fandom reading things. I forced myself to only focus on writing today instead of reading. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> I'm also looking for a beta for this to keep me going if anyone is interested.

As Heimdall gazed out at the universe, the shouts of a familiar voice drew his eye to Midgard. He hadn’t met Darcy Lewis yet, but Thor’s tales of his lightning sister and how she had felled him with his own element were told and retold every time he returned to Asgard. The prince asked him to always answer if she called to him, so he used his sword to open the Bifrost. 

The brilliant light consumed Darcy and when she materialized in the golden observatory, she fell to her knees and dry heaved. She tried to steady herself and breathe it off. “God of thunder. What the hell just happened? Is this a giant clock?” she said, squinting her eyes to see. One downside to her sleep adventures was that never had her glasses when she woke up. 

“You called for me.” 

Heimdall’s deep voice startled her, and she scrambled away from him. “Dude, who the hell are you?”

“My name is Heimdall, Lady Darcy. You requested transport to Asgard.” 

“Asgard? I’m in Asgard, like for real? Wow. I can’t wait to tell Jane. Wait, you know who I am?” 

“Prince Thor speaks of you often, my lady. He regards you as a sister.” 

“Is he here?” 

“He is. Shall I take you to him?” 

“You’re serious? I mean, I’m allowed to be here?” 

“Any friend of Thor is welcome in Asgard.” 

“Then lead the way, golden man.” When she saw his orange eyes she squealed, “You look so cool! I've never seen eyes like yours.” 

Heimdall’s face relaxed into an easy smile as Darcy took his arm. He escorted her across the rainbow bridge into the city, explaining the many wonders of the realm as they went. 

When they were close enough that she could make out the palace, she stopped. “Is that a pipe organ?” 

“No, those are the golden towers of the royal palace.”

“Well, it looks just like pipe organ. Have you ever seen one?” 

“I have seen many sights in my lifetime.” 

“How long is that?” 

“I’ve been alive for more than a millennium.” 

“Are all of you guys ancient? You don’t look like you’re over forty.” 

“Humans age far faster than the citizens of other realms.” 

“That’s probably good. If we lived for thousands of years, I can’t even imagine the shit we’d start. That’s a long time to build grudges.” 

Heimdall nodded, having seen the many skirmishes fought between men on Midgard. When they entered the gates of the palace, Thor was already there. 

He ran up to them and pulled her into a bear hug. “Lady Darcy? Are you well?”

She took a deep sniff of his familiar scent. “I’m great bro, I'm in Asgard!”

He set her down and turned to Heimdall with concern, fingers twitching as he prepared to summon Mjolnir. “Is there trouble in Midgard?” 

She stepped between them and put her hand on Thor’s arm. “Remember my whole sleep walking thing?” He nodded, and she continued, “I told him to open the Bifrost.” 

After a long moment, Thor burst into thunderous laughter that echoed through the halls. It was infectious, and soon they were all doubled over trying to catch their breath. Someone behind them cleared their throat, and they all snapped to attention. 

“I was not aware we had a guest,” a lovely woman in a long flowing dress said. 

“Mother, this is Lady Darcy, my lightning sister.”

“This is your mother? Is every Asgardian cover girl material?” Darcy said, gawking at their collective beauty. It was unfair. Even Loki was attractive when he wasn't bent on world domination.

Frigga embraced her, and Darcy relaxed into it with a sigh. “Since I’m his sister, can I claim you as my mother? You’re the type of person I wish was my mother.” 

“Of course, dear. You may return at any point should you wish to see me. I have always wanted a daughter.” 

Darcy’s face broke into a huge smile and she danced around. “Does this make me a princess?” 

“The realm would be lucky to have such a brave and valiant princess, Darcy,” Thor boomed. “Should you desire it, you could remain here and live out your days as a princess of Asgard.” 

“Shut up. Are you shitting me? Oh, pardon my French, your majesty,” Darcy said as she cringed.

Frigga looked at Darcy with a twinkle in her eye and said, “I’ve heard far coarser language, dear. Speak as you wish.” 

“Oh, thank gods. I don’t think I’m ready to move here full time, but I'd love to visit.” 

“I shall prepare a room for you to use during your visits,” Frigga answered with a soft smile. 

After a tour of the castle, Darcy halted. “What time is it on Earth?”

Thor shrugged. Time on Asgard wasn’t measured like it was on Earth. 

“I’ve got work today. I have to go back home. Jane will kill me if I’m late for work.” 

Thor called for a horse and they rode together to the observatory. 

“Tell my Jane I shall return in two days time.” 

“Sure thing, big guy. See you soon.”

After he rode away, Darcy turned her attention to Heimdall. “Are you always in here watching?”

“I have been for centuries.” 

“Is it boring?” 

“No, it is enlightening.” 

“We should hang out again sometime.” 

“Should you wish to visit, you know what to say.” 

“Hopefully next time I’ll be awake. I’m ready now.” 

“Would you like to say it, or shall I¬¬–”

“Open the Bifrost!” she shouted. 

He chuckled and sent her home as easily as she had come.


	3. To Catch a Magpie Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been AWOL for a while, but I'm back now! Life got busy and I wanted to read a bunch of stuff instead of writing, but I've just about exhausted my reading resources and I'm getting back to the land of the writing.  
> I will have part 2 of this uploaded this week.

“Where the hell are my wire strippers?” Tony grumbled aloud, even though he was in his lab alone. 

His tools had slowly been disappearing, and he couldn’t figure out how. At first he thought he was getting forgetful and considered getting himself checked out by a doctor, but then things he hadn’t touched in months came up missing and he knew someone else was involved. 

The wire strippers he'd designed to get through the special coating on the wiring of his suits tipped him over the edge. They were his only pair, and he didn’t have enough of the metal alloy required to make a new pair. Without them he couldn’t finish his repairs, and he needed his suit fixed yesterday.

“JARVIS, have you seen anyone sneaking around here without authorization?” 

“Of course not, Sir.” 

“Show me the security footage from the last month.” 

“All of it, Sir?” 

“Only the parts with unauthorized guests.” 

“Very well.” 

JARVIS displayed the video and fast-forwarded through it, stopping at a few points when Bruce entered the lab. Tony studied the clips, but Bruce didn’t touch anything he shouldn’t have. Pepper came in twice but left, taking nothing. His brilliant idea was a flop.

“That is the end of the specified footage, Sir.” 

“Where are my goddamn tools, JARVIS? There’s got to be at least ten things missing.” 

“You’ve witnessed the footage yourself, Sir.”

“But it doesn’t make sense. I’m missing something.” He stood abruptly and exited the lab. 

“Where are you going, Sir?” 

“To talk to the one who seems to see everything. Where is he?” 

“Agent Barton is in the shooting range.”  
“Perfect.” 

 

Tony found Clint suited up, launching arrow after arrow as he jumped across the rafters. 

“Hey Legolas, want to stop defending the Shire for a minute? I need to talk to you.” 

Clint dropped down in front of Tony, his lip pulled up with a hint of disgust. “Legolas isn’t from the Shire, dumbass.” 

“Touchy, I didn’t realize you were such a fanboy.” 

“What do you want?”

“Someone has been stealing my tools.” 

“Wasn’t me.” 

“I know, but I’m betting you can find out who it is. I’ll owe you one.” 

Clint looked like he was about to refuse, so Tony sweetened the deal. “I’ll sign one of my private islands into your name.” 

“Deal,” Clint said, stretching out his hand for Tony to shake, knowing it would irritate the other man. Tony rolled his eyes and walked away.

* * *

“It’s not just you,” Clint said as he strode into Tony’s office a week later clutching a large box. He dumped it on the desk and they both sorted through its contents. They took out a lock box, Clint’s second-favorite quiver full of exploding arrows, all Tony’s tools and a notebook stuffed to the brim with photos and notes. 

Tony pulled out two pairs of socks and Clint snatched them from his hands. "Those are my lucky socks," he said, checking them over for any sign of damage. 

"You have lucky socks?" 

Clint began unlacing his boots as Tony stared. "You're putting them on right now?" 

Clint frowned and waved his hand dismissively as he pulled one pair of the socks on before tucking the other pair in his pocket. "You didn't see anything." 

“Sure. We'll go with that. Where’d you find all this, anyway?” 

"Supply closet. I realized I was missing things too and turned on the location device in my quiver."

“You LoJacked your bag? 

“What? I've lost it before.” 

Tony picked up the notebook and squinted at the messy handwriting and small pictures filling the margins. “Foster’s,” he determined. “Who do you think the box belongs to?” 

“Nat.” 

Tony’s eyes widened. “Someone had the balls to steal from her?” 

“Apparently. I can’t figure out who it is.” 

“Is it a prank? I mean, who takes things and hides them in the building if it isn’t some kind of prank?” 

“Maybe, but why didn’t they say anything or tip us off? Why would they wait until we noticed?” 

Tony scratched his head and counted his tools, unable to come up with an answer. There was no logical reason for any of it. 

Clint grabbed his stuff, the box and the notebook to return them. When Natasha opened her door, he held out the metal box. 

She narrowed her eyes as she took it. "Where did you get this?"

“Found it in a supply closet, along with some other stuff.” 

“I keep it well hidden.” 

“Don't I know it. Someone is taking our things and hiding them. We don’t have any leads.” 

“What else?” 

“Notebook of Jane’s, some tools from Tony and some of my arrows. Oh, and my lucky socks! Both pairs. Nobody even knows about those.” 

Natasha hummed thoughtfully and nodded before she took her box and shut the door. She had an idea, but it would take a little investigation.

* * *

Jane was in her lab buried in a stack of papers when Clint strolled in. The flustered scientist didn’t even hear him come in, so he waited for a lull in her muttering before he approached her workspace. 

“Jane?” 

“Huh?”

“What are you doing?” 

“Looking for something. If you need something just talk to Darcy, I’m busy.” 

“It wouldn’t happen to be a notebook you’re looking for, would it?” 

Her eyes snapped up to the book in his hands and her mouth fell open before she reached out both hands for it, nearly tripping over her desk as she lunged for it. He snorted and gave it to her. 

“Did you take this?” she snapped. 

“No! We’ve all had a few things go missing, I found it all this morning.” 

Jane huffed at him, not entirely believing his story. “Thanks,” she muttered before turning back to the mess on her desk. 

Clint took that as his cue to leave. He figured Natasha might have a lead, so he returned to her room. He knocked three times and went inside. 

“Got anything?”

“Just a theory.” 

“I’m listening.” 

“There’s only one person who knows where I keep my lockbox.” 

“What? Who? You wouldn’t even show ME where you hid it.” 

“The same person who gave you your lucky socks.” 

Clint’s eyes grew wide with realization. Those socks had been a special gift from Darcy when she and Jane moved into the tower. A peace offering of sorts that stemmed back to their first encounter in New Mexico. He wore them on every mission. 

“So, it’s Darcy? But.. how? She can’t keep a secret to save her life, especially when it involves a prank.” 

“I haven’t gotten that far yet, but she isn’t working alone.” 

An image of Bucky flashed through Clint’s mind. He’d seen Bucky and Darcy cuddled up on several occasions when he was surveilling the tower, but they hadn’t gone public with their relationship. If he outed them before they were ready, he’d end up with a metal fist in his face, so he kept his mouth shut. Bucky didn’t seem like the type to go on a stealing spree, anyway. 

“We could ask her,” he suggested.

“We could. Or…” Natasha said with a sly smile. 

Clint’s face became a mirror of hers and he nodded. “Nairobi?” 

“She won’t know what hit her.”


	4. To Catch a Magpie Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of probably 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said this would be up sometime this week... and I basically made it. I actually had it written a while ago, I just had to forget what I said so I could read through it with fresh eyes. Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter! They made my week and made it much easier to write this part.

In 2003, Clint and Natasha infiltrated the compound of a group of human traffickers in Nairobi, Kenya. To silently invade the heavily guarded compound, Clint had to crawl hand-over-hand through the filthy tunnels of the ventilation system. Although it was disgusting and uncomfortable, it was an excellent way to spy on people. Doing it to watch on Darcy was actually kind of fun because the tower's ductwork was brand new, and large enough that he didn't have to crawl.

Clint silently observed Darcy every day for two weeks. The girl had a routine: Wake up, meet Jane in her lab, have lunch, help Jane, entertain whichever Avenger stopped by to visit, have dinner, go to bed. She barely left Jane’s side long enough to eat, much less steal something.

“I’ve got nothing. She has to be the most boring mark I've ever watched,” Clint groused to Natasha. 

“Maybe she doesn't do it all the time. How long was everything sitting in that closet? ”

“I don't know, but I'm getting bored. We have to try something else before I lose my mind.” 

“I know you love sneaking around in the vents, you can't lie to me.” 

The hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Clint’s mouth but he held his stoic expression. “Fine. If we don’t get anything in the next two weeks though, you’ll be the one in the vents.” 

Natasha grinned. That would never happen, no matter how much he griped about it. 

Five days later, Clint finally saw some action. Darcy was sitting at her desk in Jane’s lab when Steve stopped by looking serious. They kept their voices low at first, but after a few minutes their volume began to rise with every passing second. When they got loud enough that Clint could make out every couple of words, he realized they were arguing about Bucky. The confrontation came to an abrupt end when Darcy slammed her hands on the desk with a resounding crack and growled, “Get. The fuck. Out.” Steve had the decency to look ashamed and made a hasty retreat. The lab fell back into an uncomfortable silence. Jane glanced up briefly, but the scowl on Darcy’s face convinced her to swallow her question.

Clint followed Darcy for the rest of the day, but she didn’t break her routine. After she went to bed, he found Natasha to fill her in on the drama.

"You should've seen them. Steve's face was so red, he probably burst a few capillaries. And when Darcy told him to leave? I've never heard her sound like that. It was almost as scary as you."

Natasha looked vaguely proud as she said, “What were they fighting about?”

“Steve said something about Bucky being unstable, then he told her she should be careful around him and Darcy lost it.” 

Natasha nodded her head, clearly aware of their budding relationship. Clint’s mouth fell wide open. “You know something,” he accused, pointing a finger at her in disbelief.

“I don't know anything.”

“I know something's going on between them. I’ve seen them together more than once.” 

Natasha stared at him in her knowing way and his heart dropped. Somehow she'd pulled the secret out of him without even trying. She chuckled softly and said, “Why are you just choosing to share this now?” 

Clint threw his hands up. “Don’t blame me, Barnes is terrifying, and I'd rather not get my ass kicked. And don't use your Widow powers on me. It's not fair and you know it.” 

She let out a full laugh and shook her head at him. "It shouldn't have been that easy. You're getting weak in your old age."

Clint rolled his eyes at her quip. "Think he's her partner in crime?" 

Natasha contemplated it for a minute before answering. “I didn’t, but now I'm not sure.”

“Maybe I should start following him too.” 

“I wouldn’t. His hearing is better than mine.” 

Clint’s face paled. Natasha could hear a pin drop in a crowded room. If Barnes could do the same, there’s no way he would miss Clint clambering around inside the walls, no matter how quiet he tried to be. 

“Maybe we’ll catch a break. She doesn’t know we’re onto her yet, so we've got the upper hand.”

* * *

They didn’t have to wait long. The next day, Tony sent an S.O.S. text to Clint after Steve charged into his lab in a rage.

Clint ran to the lab and couldn’t help but smile at the scene he found. Steve's face was bright red, and he was pacing around like a caged jungle cat while Tony tried his best to keep at least a table between them, the entire time saying, "I didn't do it."

“It had to be you, Stark,” Steve hollered. 

Tony’s face was the picture of amusement, but not for the reason Steve thought. The fact that the golden boy had fallen victim to their thief thrilled him to no end. 

Clint announced his presence with his hands outstretched in a placating manner. Steve hadn't been that wound up since he'd found Bucky, and Clint figured it had something to do with his spat with Darcy. 

“What seems to be the problem, Steve?”

“Stark nabbed my shield while I was sleeping,” Steve accused, glowering at Tony.

Naturally, Tony defended himself. “You’re out of your mind, Tight Pants. I didn’t touch your damn shield.” 

“You’re the only knucklehead who’d even try it!” 

“Steve, stop, I know who did it and it wasn't Tony,” Clint said.

Both Steve and Tony turned their attention to him. “You figured it out? Why didn’t you tell me?” Tony complained. 

“I wasn't one hundred percent sure until today,” Clint said. 

“Would one of you please tell me what’s going on?” Steve said. 

“We've all had some things go missing the last couple months.” 

“Why wasn’t I informed? What if it's Hydra? As the leader of this team, I–”

“What do you mean ‘as the leader of this team’? If anyone is the leader, it’s me.” Tony said. 

“Why, because you’ve got money? Well, let me tell you something. Money doesn't make you a leader, what makes a leader is having the guts to–”

“Don’t start this bullshit with me again, Rogers,” Tony snapped. 

Steve was about to give him a piece of his mind when an ear-piercing whistle broke the tension. All three men froze as Natasha sauntered in with her arms folded. 

“I have some information you all need to hear.” 

They gave her their full attention, and she said, “Clint and I have a strong suspect.”

“We already knew that, now who is it?” Tony said.

“Darcy.” 

Tony and Steve both looked bewildered. Steve spoke first. “Darcy wouldn’t do something like this. There’s no way.” 

“Capsicle’s right. I saw Darcy last week and she didn't do anything suspicious. The girl can’t keep a secret to save her life. You've got it wrong.” 

“She is the only person who knew where I stored my box, and who knew about Clint's socks.” 

Steve tried to interject again, but Natasha stopped him.

“Hear me out. When I heard about your shield, I finally figured out her motivation. She’s taking things after one of us makes her angry.” 

Steve tried to deny it but she cut him off again. “I know all about your little argument yesterday.” He cast his eyes to the floor and shut his mouth.

“I remembered that she and I had a fight a month ago. I believe she took my box shortly after. It's a well known fact that you irritate Darcy more than anyone else, Tony. That explains why you had the most items stolen.” 

“That’s not true,” Tony grumbled, intending to defend himself once again, but the judgmental glances he received shut him up. 

“Clint had three arguments with Darcy. She took three items from him.” 

“Have either of you geniuses confronted her about it?” Tony said.

“No.” 

“Why not?” 

“Like you said, she can’t keep a secret. We have been monitoring her, trying to catch her in the act.” 

“Monitoring her how?” Steve said. 

Natasha gave Clint a pointed look, and he blushed. “Uh, I’ve been following her.” 

“She probably saw you, why would she do it if she knew you were watching? She's more observant than you give her credit for.” 

 

"She didn't see me," Clint snapped.

 

"How can you be so sure?" Steve said, brows furrowed in suspicion.

Clint mumbled something that even Steve's enhanced hearing couldn’t make out. 

“You’re gonna have to speak up, there Bird Brain,” Tony said. 

“I was in the vents,” Clint rushed. 

Tony crowed with laughter while Steve gave Clint his patented "You've disappointed America" face. 

“So, I take it you didn’t see her take the shield?”

“No. She must have done it during the night. That’s the only time I wasn’t tailing her.” 

Steve’s eyes widened, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the others who pounced, hounding him mercilessly until he spilled his guts. 

“She sleepwalks sometimes.” 

“What? That's not real,” Tony said. 

 

"Yes it is," Clint argued.

“It does make sense. If she’s unaware of the stealing, it would explain why she has been able to keep it a secret from us,” Natasha said.

“Fine, suppose sleepwalking is real. It’s not like she’d be able to get out of her room.”

“Actually, she can. Or, she did once. She wandered into the common room where Buck was watching a movie. She didn't wake up until something startled her,” Steve explained.

“She doesn’t have authorization to come into my lab when I’m not here. She couldn’t just waltz in here in her sleep. It’s impossible,” Tony said 

“Unless she had help,” Clint speculated. 

“The only ones she hasn’t taken things from are Bruce and Barnes. Are you trying to tell me one of them is doing it? They aren’t exactly the prankster type,” Tony said. 

“All I know is that she isn’t working alone,” Natasha said.

Steve’s jaw set in determination. “It can’t be Buck. Even if he gets up in the middle of the night, he tells me where he’s going. He doesn’t lie to me.” 

“I guess that just leaves the Jolly Green Scientist. Any takers?” Tony said. 

“That one's on you, man. Nat and I have done all the heavy lifting so far. It’s your turn,” Clint replied. 

Tony’s face fell, but they were right. He knew the volatile man the best, so it should be him.

* * *

“Hey there, Brucie,” Tony breezed as he walked into Bruce’s lab. The other man looked a little worse-for-wear, his stained lab coat and frazzled hair suggesting that he hadn’t left the lab in a few days. 

“What do you want, Tony?” 

“Wow, that’s no way to talk to a friend.” 

Bruce sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry. I’m on the edge of a breakthrough.” 

“How long has it been since you slept?” 

“Thursday? I think? What, uh, day is it?” 

“Monday.” 

“Oh no,” Bruce groaned. He’d been holed up a lot longer than he thought, and his stomach growled furiously to prove it. “I lost track of time. I need to eat. And shower. And sleep.”

“You mean you’re not doing your best caveman impression?” 

“Of course not,” he snapped. “I’m sorry, what did you come down here for? Unless it was to poke fun at me.” 

“Just wondered if you’d seen Darcy today.” 

“No, why? Is she okay?” 

“She’s fine, nothing to worry about. Get out of here for a while. Boss’s orders. I suggest showering before you run into anyone else,” Tony said with a wry smile. 

“Sure. Guess I’ll see you later, Tony,” Bruce said as he gathered his things to go back to his room.

* * *

“Bruce was a bust. He hasn’t even been out of his lab since Thursday. There’s no way he had a midnight thieving session with Darcy last night.” 

“We searched the supply closet while you were out. No shield.” 

“Maybe she didn’t get the chance to hide it yet.” 

“So, what? It’s in her room?” Steve asked hopefully. 

“Could be. Got a tracker on it, Steve?” Clint asked.

“No. Why would I do that?” 

“In case you lose it.” 

“I don’t lose it.” 

“Until today,” Tony chirped.

Steve’s brow furrowed, and he grumbled, “Shut up.”


	5. Chapter 5

~ Early that morning~

Darcy woke up stiff and uncomfortable. She pushed herself up on her hands, but instead of the soft give of her mattress, there was something hard and metallic underneath her palms. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and squinted at the offending object.

“Wait, is that…” she trailed off, turning to reach for the glasses on her night stand. She shoved them on and realized she wasn’t dreaming. She was cuddled up in bed with Steve’s shield. Well, as cuddly as you can get with a massive vibranium disk. 

She stared at it in amazement. It wasn’t the first time she’d woken up with something strange in her bed. Usually it was something smaller, like a wrench, or a pair of socks. Until now, the biggest thing had been Clint’s quiver and a whole slew of arrows. This one, though, took the cake.

“Hey, J? Did I really do this?”

“What are you referring to, Darcy?”

Darcy cackled. JARVIS always acted oblivious to her little unconscious excursions, but she knew he was on her side. She’d gotten into too many places she didn’t have access to.

“Can you tell Bucky I need him?”

“I shall alert him. Do you require anything else?”

“Nope. That’ll do it. Thanks J. This is one for the record books.”

“I still don’t know what you are referring to.”

Three minutes later, Bucky was knocking at her bedroom door. “I’m decent,” she called.

He let himself in and gave a low whistle when he saw what she was sitting on. Her shit-eating grin coaxed a chuckle out of him, and he joined her on the bed.

“It happened again,” she said.

“I can see that, Doll. What’d Stevie do to earn your wrath?”

Her grin faltered. “He was an ass. We have to get rid of this thing,” she said, patting the shield.

“I'll put it in the closet.”

JARVIS interrupted. “I fear your hiding place has been compromised.”

Darcy’s eyes flew wide open. “What? No! Someone’s onto me?”

“It would appear so, though they have no solid evidence against you.”

“What do I do with this? I don’t have a backup spot, and if they already suspect me, they'll toss my room as soon as Steve realizes it's gone.”

“I might have a guy,” Bucky said.

“Who?”

“His name is Scott.”

* * *

Clint searched every inch of the tower for the shield and came up empty handed. He’d never watched Darcy while she was sleeping, it seemed pervy, but they had no leads, and no actual proof that she even was the culprit. He crawled as silently as possible through the vents in her apartment until he heard a commotion coming from what sounded like her bedroom, then he kicked out the closest vent cover and dashed quickly to her bedroom. The door was shut, so he carefully opened it and peeked in.

She was alone, tangled in the sheets. He started to retreat, but the sound of her fearful whimpers tugged at his heart. Being stuck in a nightmare wasn’t something he’d wish on anyone, so he crept up to the side of her bed and reached a hand out to wake her. As soon as he touched her overheated skin, her hands seized his forearm and jerked him off balance. He landed beside her on the bed.

He struggled to pull his arm free, but she had an iron grip. “Wake up, Darcy. You’re having a nightmare,” he pleaded.

She sniffed the air, then crawled on top of him, pinning him to the mattress. He was about to shove her off and make his escape when she tilted her head back and took a deep breath. He stared, completely enraptured, as she began to howl. Like a wolf. A wide smile split across his face and he wished for a camera.

She howled again and buried her face in the curve between his neck and shoulder. His smile vanished as he felt the blunt scrape of her teeth against the sensitive skin of his throat. He yelped, struggling to break free. As soon as he managed to wedge his arm between them, she released him.

His relief lasted only a moment before she found the meaty flesh of his forearm and buried her teeth again. His heart rate skyrocketed, and he groaned in pain. He knew he was being too loud, but she was biting so hard that he would have marks. This was one of his worst ideas ever.

“What the hell kind of dream are you having, Darcy?” he said as she howled once more. 

 

She didn’t wake up, just pressed her nose against him and snuffled, growling low in her throat. Before she could bite him again, he remembered that he wasn’t technically alone. 

“JARVIS, call someone to help me, please,” he cried.

If he weren’t so afraid, he would have sworn that JARVIS sounded amused as he replied, “Who would you have me call, Agent Barton?”

“Anyone. I don’t care, I need help.”

A minute later, Bucky burst into the room, stopping short at the sight of Darcy biting Clint’s ear as he scrunched up his face in agony. He couldn’t help but laugh as Clint cried out for help.

“Stop laughing, Barnes. I think she’s drawing blood. Who bites people in their sleep?” 

Bucky shook his head and laughed again. “Well, we watched all those Twilight movies the other day.”

“That doesn’t explain the howling,” Clint said with another yelp of pain.

Bucky grinned and said, “Has wolves in it too. Maybe she thinks you're a vampire.” The wolves were Darcy’s favorite part of the movie.

Darcy snarled and tugged at Clint’s already sensitive ear. “Can you please get her off me before she rips my ear clean off?”

Bucky snorted, but sat down on the bed and pulled Darcy easily into his arms, making Clint look like a pansy. Darcy clung to him and buried her face in his neck, sighing happily and calming down almost immediately.

Clint inspected the bruising bite marks on his arm. She hadn’t broken the skin, but the indentations from her teeth were fairly deep. He ran his fingertips over the spot on his neck, wincing a little. No blood there either, but it hurt like hell.

When he looked up, Clint noticed Bucky gently rocking Darcy back and forth, with a soft smile. He had never seen Bucky smile before. 

As their eyes met, Bucky’s expression hardened. “Why were you in here, Barton?”

Clint paled, his stomach twisting in a hard knot. “I heard her freaking out.” 

“How?”

“I was in the area,” he said slowly.

“You’re lying.”

“What? No I’m not. I would never lie to you.” 

“There's a vent cover on the ground outside.”

Clint froze, not even daring to breathe. He stared at the ground. After several tense minutes, Bucky scoffed and shook his head.

“If I catch you sneaking around on Darcy again, I’m going to tell her all about how you’ve been following her, and I’ll hold you down while she kicks your ass. Now, scram.”

Clint nodded, looking like a bobble-head in stop-and-go traffic. Bucky jerked his head toward the door and Clint tore out of the room, replacing the vent cover before exiting through her front door.

Bucky tried to set Darcy back in her bed, but her arms and legs were still fastened around his neck and waist. He placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head, then scooted to lean his back against her headboard, content to hold her until she woke up.

When the sun peeked through the window hours later, Darcy woke with a smile on her face. She looked up at Bucky, who had a tiny trail of saliva coming from the corner of his mouth and snickered. The commotion woke him, and he sat up straight, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm.

“Been watching me sleep?” he said, shaking his head.

Darcy shrugged and snuggled against his chest for a hug. “Just for a second. What are you doing here?”

“Barton was spying on you.”

She sat up with a scowl. “That sneaky son of a bitch is going to die.”

Bucky rubbed his hands over her shoulders. “I’ll set up a few traps so he can’t do it again. I threatened him though, so I don’t think he’ll do it again.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “There will be retribution though. I’m not letting him get away with this.”

“No one expects you to,” Bucky said with a smirk. Clint would eventually pay for his crimes, and Bucky would be there laughing when he did.

Darcy got up and padded over to her bathroom. “I’m gonna shower before I have to get ready for work, care to join me?”

Bucky’s face burned. Back in the forties, he’d been the forward one. Darcy was worse than he’d ever been. He was interested, desperately so, but he wasn’t about to rush things, no matter how many offers she made to get naked with him.

“I’ll just head back to my room. Steve’ll be up soon.”

Darcy rolled her eyes and grinned at him. “One of these days I’ll wear you down.” She didn’t bother shutting the door.

He shook his head and hurried from the room before she stripped her clothes off. She had no qualms about flashing him her assets, and his resolve couldn’t take the temptation. Someday he’d give in, but not yet.

* * *

That afternoon, Darcy was trying her hardest to convince Jane to leave the tower for an hour to try a new Indian place she’d heard about.

“I’ve got work to do, Darcy. We don’t have time.”

“There’s always time for naan, Jane. Come on. We’ve gone to the cafeteria for three weeks straight. I need something different.” Darcy finished her speech by falling to her knees and clasping her hands in front of her chest. She gave Jane her best puppy dog pout and the other woman relented.

“Fine. Where’s my bag?”

Darcy whispered a triumphant yes and grabbed Jane’s purse from the floor beside her desk. She grabbed her own keys from her desk and pulled Jane out of the lab by her arm, crashing into someone as soon as they entered the hallway. Darcy stumbled, but caught herself before she fell to the floor.

“In a hurry?” Clint said, peering past the two women into the lab. Darcy covered her rising irritation with a flirtatious smile.

“Heading out for lunch. What are you doing here?”

Clint’s attention snapped back to her and her phony smile brightened. He studied her face. She looked off somehow, but he couldn’t tell if she knew what he’d done or not.

“I was just in the area.”

Her keys jingled as she swung them around on her finger. A new key chain caught Clint’s attention. It was a tiny replica of Steve’s shield. He stared at it for a minute, wondering if it had anything to do with Steve’s missing shield, but that was crazy. Besides, Darcy was always buying Avengers memorabilia. Her keys already had a tiny Mjolnir, so he shook off his suspicion and smiled at her.

“You ladies have fun. I’ll see you later.”

Darcy’s smile morphed into something a little more vicious, and she leaned in close to Clint and whispered, “Expect me when you least expect me.”

He swallowed thickly as she pulled an oblivious Jane down the hallway. He was screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait... I know I'm terrible, but I've been busy beta reading and working on a long story. Enjoy the new chapter! Come talk to me on Tumblr if you want to. My name is chocolategate there as well.


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